At present, in order to detect the respiratory rate of a user, it is necessary to use different means or components placed directly on said user, which set the parameters for respiration and/or the heartbeat depending on the particular needs of each case.
In the case of piezoresistive materials such as sensor systems for measuring respiratory rate and heartbeat, this implies that the user must typically wear masks with piezoresistive elements, or be positioned in certain ways (awkward postures) which enable the electrical conductivity to be varied with deformation of the material. In addition, these materials are textile and/or flexible.
An example of use of piezoresistive systems for measuring heart rate may be the U.S. Pat. No. 7,689,271 B1, and unlike the object of the present invention, the object of said American patent is not based on a textile, deformable surface and which also requires a forced position in which at least the ends must be in contact with the sensor surface, but the sensor of the invention is based on the capture of signals, and because the sensor is much more sensitive, it requires a much simpler processing.
All known systems and devices would be incompatible, for example, with simultaneously operating machinery or vehicles, or with any other hazardous activity that required the user's full attention. This would be the case for an intrusive system for monitoring respiration and/or the heart rate of a driver, and to therefore know the condition thereof in order to avoid accidents due to fatigue or drowsiness.